What's everyone saying?

The suggestions offered by this web site is completely different from what my cardiologist has prescribed. How do I justify the differences between my primary care Dr., Nephrologist and Cardiologist? Dietitian comment: Some of the recipes for kidney may not match your goals for the cardiac diet but there are many others that do. You can make modifications like substituting low cholesterol egg substitute for eggs, using nonfat milk and cream cheese and even omitting the sausage. Read the DaVita.com article "Merging the Heart and Kidney Diets" for more tips on combining both diets.

Regarding sausage use, I go to my butcher shops and ask them to make me 5-10 pounds sausage without salt or sodium. Then I pick it up, go home and divide it into 1/2 lb units and freeze. That gives me (after cooking) 1- 2oz serving for me and nice 4+ ounce serving for my husband. Or use in casseroles and trying to keep my portion to approx. 2 oz unless there is another protein in the recipe i.e. eggs or cheese. One could do the same for turkey sausage.

I ve got a duo problem. Diabetic and Stage 2 kidney disease. So what is the serving size on these recipes? I took all salt away and my bp was dropping so I ate more. Itried the rice and my sugar went high. I am so frustrated that the quality of life is no longer there. boo hoo Dietitian comment: Combining multiple diets is challenging but not impossible with persistence and help. Keep searching for recipes that appeal to you and include diet types for diabetes and CKD non-dialysis. The portion size is one 3-inch by 3-inch square, or 1/9th of the recipe.

My husband liked this recipe. Question: In picking low sodium sausage what numbers meet the requirements to qualify as low sodium? I was so focused on finding reduced fat which I did find but realized afterwards I hadn't purchased reduced sodium which my husband's diet requires. I liked this recipe too! Dietitian comment: Officially low sodium means the item contains 140 mg or less sodium per serving. You will also see foods labeled as reduced-sodium, which means the product contains at least 25% less sodium than the product that is not reduced sodium.

I'm frustrated that there is no search capability in recipes since I am looking for specific recipes like pancakes from scratch. Don't laugh I have never made anything from scratch I don't think. I would like the nutrient list too. That is how I learn what I can have and cant have. Dietitian comment: The DaVita Diet Helper tool has a recipe search or if you use the general search box in the recipe section you can click on 'Recipes" to see only recipe results.

Sounds good but way too much sodium & potassium for me & I don't eat pork. I will substitute turkey bacon, almond milk & whole grain bread. Can I use egg whites instead of whole eggs? This is from a CKD dietitian? Dietitian comment: I believe egg whites will work as a substitution--and that will lower the phosphorus content. To keep protein the same, 9 egg whites are needed but this makes the sodium and potassium increase.

After reading all the reviews, I noticed a few things. A sub for coffee mate is Mocha Mix which is what my dad uses. It comes in half - gallon containers and is less expensive than coffee mate. My dad swears it tastes like milk in his cereal. If I make this recipe, I would have to substitute the cream cheese for neufacthel (sp?) Cream cheese substitute. People that are lactose intolerant or need a lactose-limited diet like my dad can use this. I even use it as it's much less fat and tastes just like cream cheese. As for the Almond Milk/Nut Milks, make sure your diet does not state no nuts before using this type of milk. My dad cannot consume nuts on his low potassium/low sodium/low phosphorus/low fat diet....yes that's a lot of lows!! So you may want to ask your dietician if you should use those types. I hope this helps someone. I was so confused in the beginning that my dad almost starved because I was so afraid to give him anything to eat. Thank goodness I found the DaVita site. It really does help! Also know that if a recipe calls for something you shouldn't eat, you can substitute it for something you can eat.
Dietitian comment: Thanks for your feedback Marlene. In regards to the nut milk, many are low enough in potassium and phosphorus to be used on a kidney diet. The milk is extracted from the ground nuts and most of the potassium and phosphorus is left behind in the nut meal. Ask your dietitian for product recommendations.

We would have to substitute something else for the sausage as we have to watch the sodium content as well as fat content. Dietitian comment: Try the Homemade Pan Sausage or Homemade Turkey Sausage recipe on DaVita.com. Both are low in sodium. The Turkey Sausage has only 3 gram of fat per patty.

Is almond milk kidney friendly? This sight is excellent! Dietitian comment: Thanks! With the explosion of nut milk beverages over the past few years, it seems there is no consistency between products in regards to protein, poitassium, phosphorus, sodium and calcium content. General guidelines are to check with your dietitian for specific products, read the nutrition label and ingredient list and select products without 'phos' additives and with lowesr potassium and phosphorus content.

This recipe looks very good. I am going to try it with some green chili sausage. I was wondering why one would use the non dairy creamer that is so full of chemicals, wouldn't that be hard on our kidneys? Moderator comment: The nondairy creamer substitutes milk to help lower the potassium and phosphorus. You could also use unenriched rice milk as a milk substitute.

I do not understand. I am a newly diagnosed PKD patient. I thought I needed to avoid protein and sodium. Eggs and sausage? I am so confused.
Moderator comment: As you learn more about your individualized diet needs there will be less confusion. Kidney diet limitations will vary depending on stage of kidney disease, a person's size and their lab values and if on dialysis, the type of dialysis. The goal is to stay within your prescribed targets for nutrients such as protein, soidum, potassium and phosphorus. Calories, fat, cholesterol and carbohydrates may also be of concern depending on other diagnoses. Even some of the foods on the 'Limit or Avoid' list may be incorporated and still achieve daily targets. Ask your dietitian for help.

This site is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical advice from a physician.
Please check with a physician if you need a diagnosis and/or for treatments as well as information regarding your specific condition. If you are experiencing urgent medical conditions, call 9-1-1